Green London Assembly Member and Lewisham Councillor Darren Johnson has criticised the decision made by Jeremy Hunt to downgrade maternity and emergency services at Lewisham Hospital.
Lewisham Green campaigners Helen Thompson, Anne Scott, Ute Michel and Darren Johnson marching against the proposed cuts earlier this year (Image: Lewisham Green Party)
Lewisham is a clinically high performing and financially solvent Trust, but a Government administrator has proposed closing its A&E and full maternity services due to financial problems at the neighbouring South London Healthcare NHS Trust.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s decision to uphold a number of the administrator’s proposals to downgrade Lewisham Hospital came despite a petition signed by over 50,000 residents, doctors and patients. Whilst the A&E will remain open, its services would be downgraded, whilst obstetrian maternity services will be axed.
Lewisham council has written a letter to the Health Secretary giving him until the 22nd of February to reverse his decision, after which point it will initiate legal procedings. The letter states: “The council’s firm view, on legal advice, is that the [administrator] had no power under the relevant statutory regime, to consider, or to make recommendations to you about, services provided by any NHS body other than South London Healthcare, the trust to which you appointed him.
“It follows from this that you, in making a decision on the [administrator]’s recommendations, had no power to make a decision which purports to affect the operation of Lewisham Hospital.”
Darren Johnson questions Mayor Boris Johnson on the proposed downgrading
of Lewisham Hospital
Reacting to Hunt’s Decision, Green Assembly Member and Lewisham Councillor Darren Johnson said: “We need all of the A&E service at Lewisham hospital, not just bits of it.”
“These proposals will lead to a reduction in the quality of provision for hundreds of thousands of Londoners and I have urged the Mayor of London to support any legal challenge to this decision. Successful hospitals like Lewisham should not be punished for financial problems elsewhere.”
For more on the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign, please visit their website.